Vented pants and shorts

ABSTRACT

Pants or shorts include a waist portion; first and second legs extending from the waist portion, the first and second legs defining a crotch region between the first and second legs; and a vented crotch gusset extending across the crotch region from the first leg to the second leg. Also discussed are pants including a waist portion; first and second legs extending from the waist portion, the first and second legs defining first and second knee regions, respectively; and a knee vent in each of the first and second knee regions.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This patent application relates generally to recreational clothing, such as pants, shorts, and the like. More specifically, the present application relates to vented pants and shorts.

BACKGROUND

Clothing for people with an active lifestyle has existed for a number of years. Such clothing is typically used during recreational activities such as hiking, climbing, skiing, and other outdoor activities. Additionally, recreational clothing is often worn for everyday life activities. Examples of recreational clothing include pants and shorts, as well as shirts, jackets, and other types of outerwear. Due to body heat that can be generated during recreational activities, there is often a need for recreational clothing to provide adequate ventilation. Additionally, in order to accommodate certain activities, there is often a need for the clothing to provide the wearer with sufficient range of movement.

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment, pants or shorts comprise: a waist portion; first and second legs extending from the waist portion, the first and second legs defining a crotch region between the first and second legs; and a vented crotch gusset extending across the crotch region from the first leg to the second leg.

According to another embodiment, pants comprise: a waist portion; first and second legs extending from the waist portion, the first and second legs defining first and second knee regions, respectively; and a knee vent in each of the first and second knee regions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other features and advantages will be apparent from the following, more particular, description of various exemplary embodiments, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements.

FIG. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of pants according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the pants of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the pants of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a crotch region of the pants of FIG. 1, showing a vented crotch gusset.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the interior of the crotch region of FIG. 4, showing the construction of the vented crotch gusset.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view of a portion of the vented crotch gusset of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of an area behind the knee of the pants of FIG. 1, showing a knee vent.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the knee vent of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the interior construction of the knee vent of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a front view of an embodiment of shorts according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the shorts of FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments of the invention are discussed in detail below. While specific embodiments are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations can be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

As used herein, terms such as “front,” “back,” “left,” “right,” “upper,” and “lower” are used to describe positions relative to one another only and not to denote an absolute position. For example, an “upper portion” can become a “left,” “right,” or “lower” portion by rotating the item, although it can still be referred to as an “upper” portion of the item.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, an embodiment of pants 10 according to the present invention is shown. The pants 10 can generally include a waist portion 12 that fits around the wearer's waist and crotch. The pants can also include first and second legs 14, 16, such as right and left legs. The first and second legs 14, 16 can be long-legs as shown in FIGS. 1-3, or alternatively, short-legs as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. Alternatively, pants 10 can have leg lengths between those shown in FIGS. 1-3 and 10, 11.

Referring specifically to FIGS. 1 and 2, the first and second legs 14, 16 can define a crotch region 18 that generally lays between the first and second legs 14, 16, e.g., between the wearer's inner thighs. Referring to FIG. 4, the crotch region 18 can include a vented crotch gusset 20 extending from the first leg 14 to the second leg 16. The vented crotch gusset 20 can reinforce the crotch region 18, and/or increase the wearer's range of motion. Additionally, the vented crotch gusset can vent the wearer's body heat during exercise or other activities, helping to keep the wearer cool.

Referring to FIGS. 4-6, details of the vented crotch gusset 20 can be seen. FIG. 5 depicts the vented crotch gusset 20 from inside pants 10, while FIG. 6 depicts an enlarged portion of the crotch gusset 20. With reference to FIG. 5, the vented crotch gusset 20 comprises a layer of mesh fabric 22 extending across the crotch region 18 from the first leg 14 to the second leg 16. For example, the mesh fabric 22 can be sewn together with the material forming the remainder of the crotch region 18, or alternatively, it can comprise an extra piece of material. The vented crotch gusset 20 can also include a layer of substantially solid fabric 24 substantially overlaying the layer of mesh fabric 22, as shown in FIG. 4. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 in conjunction, the layer of mesh fabric 22 can be connected to the layer of substantially solid fabric 24 along first and second lateral seams 30, 32, for example, by stitching, bonding, ultrasonic welding, or other construction techniques known in the art. As shown in both FIGS. 4 and 5, each of the first and second lateral seams 30, 32 can extend across the crotch region 18 substantially from the first leg 14 to the second leg 16.

According to an embodiment, the layer of mesh fabric 22 and the layer of substantially solid fabric 24 are detached from one another at first and second vent openings 34, 36 located at opposed lateral ends of the vented crotch gusset 20. For example, the first and second vent openings 34, 36 can be located on the first and second legs 14, 16, respectively. Additionally or alternatively, the vent openings 34, 36 can extend from the first lateral seam 32 to the second lateral seam 34. An enlarged view of one of the vent openings 34 is shown in FIG. 6.

The construction of the vented crotch gusset 20 can allow the wearer's body heat to escape from the crotch region 18 of the pants 10. For example, the layer of mesh fabric 22 can freely lay on top of the layer of solid fabric 24, allowing body heat, perspiration, etc., to escape from inside the pants into the space between the mesh fabric 22 and the solid fabric 24. The vent openings 34, 36 can then allow that body heat to escape the pants 10 and into the ambient environment.

Although referred to as a layer of “substantially solid” fabric 24, embodiments are envisioned where the fabric 24 has some degree of porosity, e.g., sufficiently large to facilitate escape of sweat vapors, but small enough to substantially prevent penetration by rain or snow. Although embodiments of fabric 24 may have some degree of porosity, generally, the pores will not be visible to the human eye. This is in contrast to the layer of mesh fabric 22, which generally, will have pores visible to the human eye. According to embodiments, the layer of substantially solid fabric 24 can include layers of tightly woven or knitted cotton/nylon blends, cotton/spandex blends, nylon/spandex blends, polyester, and polyester blends. In contrast, the layer of mesh fabric 22 can include a layer of loosely woven or knitted fabric having a matrix of closely spaced holes.

Referring to FIG. 1, each of the first and second legs 14, 16 can include knee regions 40, 42. Each of the knee regions 40, 42 can include a knee vent 44, 46, located behind the wearer's knee. FIGS. 7-9 depict an embodiment of knee vent 44 in detail. FIGS. 7 and 8 are exterior views, and FIG. 9 is an interior view.

As shown in FIGS. 7-9, the knee vent 44 can include an inner layer of mesh fabric 46 and an outer layer of substantially solid fabric 48 that substantially overlays the inner layer. The makeup of the mesh fabric 46 and the solid fabric 48 can be the same, or similar, to that described previously.

Referring to FIG. 9, the inner layer 46 and the outer layer 48 can be connected along an upper seam 50 of the knee vent 44, for example, by stitching, bonding, ultrasonic welding, or other technique known in the art. The inner layer 46 and outer layer 48 can be detached from one another along a lower opening 52, allowing body heat, vapor, etc. to escape from the pant leg through the mesh inner layer 46 and the opening 52. As shown in FIG. 7, one or more darts 54 can help prevent the outer layer 48 from flapping or hanging away from the inner layer 46. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the mesh inner layer 46 can be connected to the remainder of the leg 16 by a seam 56 formed, for example, by stitching, bonding, ultrasonic welding, or other technique known in the art.

Referring back to FIGS. 1-3, the pants 10 can include a variety of pockets or other functional components that double as vents, e.g., have their interior “layer” formed at least partially from mesh. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, the pants 10 can include front pockets 60, rear pockets 62, side pockets 64, a cell-phone pocket 66, and/or a wallet pocket 68. At least a portion of one or more of these pockets, such as the inner wall or layer, can be formed of mesh, allowing these pockets to double as vents.

Although FIGS. 1-9 depict the pants 10 as long-legged pants, embodiments with short-legs are also possible, such as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. Additionally, embodiments with leg lengths in between those shown in FIGS. 1-9 and 10, 11 are also possible. The short-legged pants 10 of FIGS. 10 and 11 can include some or all of the same features as described with respect to FIGS. 1-9, such as the vented crotch gusset 20 and/or one or more pockets 60-68, the details of which will not be repeated herein.

According to embodiments, pants 10 can be constructed using various fabrics and construction techniques known in the art. For example, all or parts of pants 10 can be constructed from man made and/or natural fiber fabrics, such as cotton, cotton/nylon blends, cotton/spandex blends, nylon/spandex blends, polyester, and polyester blends. According to an embodiment, pants 10 can be constructed from a 65% cotton/35% nylon blend. Other materials and/or combinations of materials will be identifiable by one of ordinary skill in the art based on this disclosure depending on the intended style and/or use of the pants. According to an embodiment, all or a portion of the fabric for pants 10 can be coated, for example, with a durable water repellant (DWR) or other coating. Pants 10 can be constructed by joining multiple panels of fabric using techniques such as, for example, sewing, gluing, or ultrasonic bonding. The pants 10 can include additional features known in the art, such as pockets, pleats, belt loops, a zip or button fly, etc., which will not be described further herein.

The vents described above are not limited to use with pants 10, and can alternatively be used with other types of garments, such as shirts and jackets, for example.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described embodiments, but should instead be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents. 

What is claimed:
 1. Pants or shorts, comprising: a waist portion; first and second legs extending from the waist portion, the first and second legs defining a crotch region between the first and second legs; and a vented crotch gusset extending across the crotch region from the first leg to the second leg.
 2. The pants or shorts of claim 1, wherein the vented crotch gusset comprises: a layer of mesh fabric extending across the crotch region from the first leg to the second leg; and a layer of substantially solid fabric substantially overlaying the layer of mesh fabric.
 3. The pants or shorts of claim 2, wherein the layer of mesh fabric is connected to the layer of substantially solid fabric along first and second lateral seams, each of the first and second lateral seams extending across the crotch region substantially from the first leg to the second leg.
 4. The pants or shorts of claim 3, wherein the layer of mesh fabric and the layer of substantially solid fabric are detached from one another at first and second vent openings, the first and second vent openings located on the first and second legs, respectively.
 5. The pants or shorts of claim 4, wherein each of the vent openings extends between the first and second lateral seams.
 6. Pants according to claim 1, wherein the first and second legs have first and second knee regions, respectively, that extend below the wearer's knees, each of the first and second knee regions including a knee vent located behind the wearer's knee.
 7. The pants of claim 6, wherein each of the knee vents comprises: an inner layer of mesh fabric; and an outer layer of substantially solid fabric, the outer layer substantially overlaying the inner layer; wherein the inner layer and outer layer are connected along an upper seam of the knee vent, and the inner layer and outer layer are detached from one another along a lower opening of the knee vent.
 8. The pants or shorts of claim 1, further comprising at least one pocket selected from the group consisting of a front pocket, a rear pocket, a side pocket, a cell-phone pocket, and a wallet pocket, wherein at least a portion of the at least one pocket is mesh.
 9. The pants or shorts of claim 1, wherein the pants or shorts are long-legged pants.
 10. The pants or shorts of claim 1, wherein the pants or shorts are short-legged pants.
 11. The pants or shorts of claim 2, wherein the layer of substantially solid fabric is selected from the group consisting of: cotton/nylon blends, cotton/spandex blends, nylon/spandex blends, polyester, and polyester blends.
 12. The pants or shorts of claim 11, wherein the layer of mesh fabric comprises a layer of loosely woven or knitted fabric having a matrix of closely spaced holes.
 13. Pants, comprising: a waist portion; first and second legs extending from the waist portion, the first and second legs defining first and second knee regions, respectively; and a knee vent in each of the first and second knee regions.
 14. The pants of claim 13, wherein the knee vents are located behind the wearer's knees.
 15. The pants of claim 13, wherein each of the knee vents comprises: an inner layer of mesh fabric; and an outer layer of substantially solid fabric, the outer layer substantially overlaying the inner layer; wherein the inner layer and outer layer are connected along an upper seam of the knee vent, and the inner layer and outer layer are detached from one another along a lower opening of the knee vent.
 16. The pants of claim 15, wherein the layer of substantially solid fabric is selected from the group consisting of: cotton/nylon blends, cotton/spandex blends, nylon/spandex blends, polyester, and polyester blends.
 17. The pants of claim 16, wherein the layer of mesh fabric comprises a layer of loosely woven or knitted fabric having a matrix of closely spaced holes.
 18. The pants of claim 13, further comprising at least one pocket selected from the group consisting of a front pocket, a rear pocket, a side pocket, a cell-phone pocket, and a wallet pocket, wherein at least a portion of the at least one pocket is mesh.
 19. The pants of claim 13, wherein the first and second legs define a crotch region there between, the pants further comprising a vented crotch gusset extending across the crotch region from the first leg to the second leg. 